About Me

Jim Killebrew has 40 years of clinical psychological work for people with intellectual disabilities, and experience teaching, administration, consulting, writing with multiple publications. Dr. Killebrew has attended four Universities and received advanced degrees. Southern Illinois University; Ph.D., Educational Psychology; University of Illinois at Springfield, Counseling Education; M.A., Human Development Counseling; Northeastern Oklahoma State University, B.A., Psychology and Sociology. Dr. Killebrew attended Lincoln Christian Seminary (Now Lincoln Christian University). Writing contributions have been accepted and published in several journals: Hospital & Community Psychiatry, The Lookout, and Christian Standard (multiple articles). He may be reached at Killebrewjb@aol.com.

Welcome to my Opinion Pages

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Friday, February 25, 2011

Our little town is struggling to decide if they want to opt out of the opportunity to place video gambling machines in establishments that have liquor licenses. It seems the state has given us the opportunity to have much more gambling than in the past with our riverboat casinos. Of course the state will rake in a full thirty percent of the money giving the municipalities only a five percent cut.

The owners of the machines will rake in a percentage of the money lost by those who play the machines, so most of them are eager to have the opportunity to legalize gambling at that level. The problem is that many of those who lose really cannot afford to lose. When they lose there are often times many others who suffer from that loss. Spouses, children, parents and grandparents, friend, and yes, even taxpayers join in that loss. When food, clothing, house payments, utilities, and other necessities are let go month after month due to paychecks being lost in the machines, someone usually has to step up to help since the gambling loser cannot. Someone at a City Council meeting that was held said that for each dollar gained by the gambling machines, three dollars are needed to help those who suffer from the losses. That means that social agencies, both public and private, will have to generate more resources to meet the additional needs.

I think everyone who is honest with their own thoughts will admit that gambling hurts a lot more than it helps. There is a place we can turn, however, where losses turn into great returns; where we can win by losing.

A man asked Jesus how he could enter the Kingdom of God. “Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’” (Matthew 19:21 NIV) In our world if we gamble and lose all our possessions we are bankrupt and have nothing. Or if we sell all our possessions we would likely be moving or starting a new venture. We would take the money from the sale and start a business or start a new beginning somewhere else. But Jesus said to take the money and give it to the poor, then follow Him. At that point you are building treasure in heaven, so your loss here turns to gain in heaven.

Another time Jesus talked about your rights to life here on the earth. But the Bible says, “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.’” (Mark 8:34-35 NIV) When we gamble in our world we are hoping for the jackpot to hit when we have the best hand. Likely as not we end up losing everything and gaining nothing. But, when we devote our lives to living the gospel and following Jesus, we actually save our lives and gain eternal life through Him.

After a discussion about who could be the greatest, “Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.’” (Mark 9:35 NIV) In our world we dream of our gambling winnings taking us to the top. As we sit on top of the world we lord it over others and take more gain for ourselves. In the logic that Jesus uses, He says that to be first we must be last; to be the greatest; we must be the servant of all. When we submit ourselves to Jesus and accept His gift of salvation, we have placed ourselves under the authority of the King of Kings.

When a man dies he wants his epitaph to reflect a celebration of his life and his accomplishments for all to remember. He wants a legacy that people will look back to and say word of admiration and praise. But if that man lived for himself and refused to share his good fortune with others and only gambled himself away to the destruction of himself and his family, his epitaph will only reflect selfishness and sorrow. Jesus talked to His disciples one day, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.’” (John 12:24 NIV) A man must die to himself, follow Jesus and rise up to produce much through the leading from the Lord.

In gambling a person loses everything and gains nothing. In Christ a person loses everything but gains eternal salvation. The Apostle Paul writing in his letter of Philippians said, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:8 NIV)

By gambling in life we sometimes lose; by placing our lives in Christ and the work He did on the cross for our salvation, we gain all eternity. What is your choice?